Bulls Fall in Series Opener at Western Michigan

Tony Fuller had two hits and a walk for UB

Chris Ciesla

KALAMAZOO, MI – The University at Buffalo baseball team dropped the first game of their three-game Mid-American Conference series at Western Michigan on Friday, falling 12-5. With the loss, Buffalo drops to 8-21 overall, 2-7 in the MAC.

Western Michigan scored first in the second inning when Max Kelmigian got an infield single and later scored on a fielder’s choice.

Buffalo answered in the top of the third as Rob Mancini (Windsor, Ontario/St. Thomas) drew a one-out walk and Jacob Rosenbeck (Medina, NY/Medina) drove Mancini in with a double off the center field fence. The Bulls took the lead when Chris Ciesla (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) followed Rosenbeck’s double with a RBI single up the middle.

The Broncos regained the lead in the bottom of the third on a solo home run by Joe Sheets and a run-scoring double by Kelmigian to the wall in right center field.

Western Michigan took a 4-2 lead when Derek Mosher led off the fourth with a walk and scored on a ground out by Grant Simotes. The Broncos added to their lead in the fifth with four runs and a pair of runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings.

Tony Fuller

The Bulls didn’t quit, as they scored three runs in the ninth. Tony Fuller (Rochester, NY/Penfield) and Charles Karstedt (Eden, NY/Eden) walked to begin the inning, Fuller scored when Brian Randazzo (St. Charles, MO/ St. Charles) reached on an error, Karstedt scored on a sacrifice fly by Mancini. Ciesla then drove in Shivam Bhan (Caledon, Ontario/Mayfield) with a single up the middle.

Fuller, Bhan and Ciesla each had two hits on the day for the Bulls.

Game two of the three-game set between the Bulls and the Broncos is scheduled for tomorrow, April 12; first pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.

04/11/2008